Wall for model building structures



Oct. 31, 1950 v. CIVKIN 2TH.

WALL FOR MODEL BUILDING STRUCTURES Filed Oct. 16, 1948 Inventors: ctor" Clivkl Gerald Macaw,

Their" Atcmrneg.

Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALL FOR MODEL BUILDING STRUCTURES Application October 16, 1948, Serial No. 54,954

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to model building structures and more particularly to walls of such structures such as those for use in building miniatures of kitchen or laundry rooms. It has been customary in the past to provide scale miniatures of furniture, cabinets, appliances and other articles used in the home and to use these miniatures in planning full-sized rooms. Of course, walls are necessary to complete the model room structures, and our invention involves improvements in such wall construction.

Ordinarily, rooms such as the kitchen and laundry have a dropped ceiling or sofiit over wall cabinets which runs around the top of the walls next to the ceiling, and overhangs the walls. Difiiculty has been experienced in the past in providing a realistic sofiit for use with kitchen or laundry miniatures. One object of our invention is to provide a wall for such miniatures including a simulated soifit.

Scale models of kitchen and laundry often include items such as doors, windows, pictures, wall shelves, wall cabinets and wall-hung appliances, all of which items may be classified as simulations of wall-associated articles. Another object is to incorporate in model building structures a concealed means for securing scale models of wall-associated articles to the wall section.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a convenient scale so that the walls of rooms may be laid out in proper dimensions for study and planning.

These objects and others are accomplished by combining the sofiit and wall into a single item, altering the soflit construction at certain points, providing means to hang wall-associated articles without making holes in the wall face, and providing a suitable scale applied directly on each section. Other objects and the details of that which we believe to be novel and our invention will be clear from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an example of model building structure embodying the present invention and incorporating our novel wall construction.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing two angularly abutted wall sections according to our invention, together with scale models of various articles with which a model kitchen might be built; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outside of the two joined walls of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective rear view of a cabinet or other article which may be used with a'wall according to the present invention,

and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Walls for miniature or model building structures have been made without soflits, or with soffits as a separate item to be applied to wall sections. According to our inventon we provide two or more similar wall sections or units which are movable relative to each other and each of which carries its own soffit. We have indicated these wall sections at l and each of these has a longitudinally extending, imperforate rectangular panel 2, preferably made of light gauge sheet steel for purposes which will appear later. In order to support this wall panel in an upstanding manner from a table or other surface on which the model is to be assembled, We provide an outturned base or bottom flange 3 which extends along the length of the bottom of the wall section. Rectangular end flanges 4 on the wall sections may also be provided for stiffening the sections and for giving them a more finished appearance.

Along the top of each wall is secured a sofiit 5 composed of a horizontal 'soffit base 6 overhanging the wall panel and a vertical soifit face I projecting upwardly from the soffit base. This soflit is secured to the top edge of the wall by means of an outturned flange 8 on the top of the wall to which the inner end of the soffit base 6 is brazed, welded or otherwise secured as at 9. Immediately next to the line where the upper wall flange and the soffit base are secured together, we provide a step portion ID for slightly spacing the soffit from the top edge of the wall. This is shown as a step in the soffit base although obviously the step might be made in the wall flange. With either method of manufacture a slot or groove ll between the top of the wall and the bottom of the sofiit is produced.

When it is desired to join one of the wall simulating sections in abutting angular relation to another similar wall section, the overhanging soflits would interfere with each other excepting that we discontinue or cut away the sofiit portions at the end of one of the wall sections. This means that the top wall flange 8 is cut away as at [2, the soflit base 6 is cut away as at l3 and the soilit face I is cut away as at M. The distance of this cut-away portion is equal to the distance of overhang of the somt of the similar wall section with which the section under consideration is to be used. Because the soffit at one end. is thus discontinued, this end of the wall section can be brought close to the face of an adjoining wall section at any point along its length as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to provide a convenient scale for indicating the dimensions of a room built from the above described walls, we have shown a top edge or face IE on the soffit. This is generally parallel to the sofiit base and of a width or depth such that it extends back toward the extended vertical plane of the wall panel with its free edge 16 terminating in the plane of the extended wall panel. At the end where the soffit is discontinued, this top face I5 is preferably extended for'the full length of the wall face below it, as shown at [1, the end portion thereof being bent slightly upwards as indicated at [8 in order to slide easily over the sofiit which it overlaps.

A suitable scale [9 is provided along the free edge l6 so that measurements for layout of. sample rooms can be made easily. This scale starts at the end of the wall where the soflit is cut away, for convenience in laying out rooms according to known dimensions.

Adapted for use with the walls above described are models orminiatures of articles or appliances made on the same scale as the scale it at the top of the walls. We have shown models of a refrigerator 20, a range 2i, a sink 22 and various floorcabinets 23, 24, 25 and 26. These are typical articles of kitchen furniture, and other articles may be provided in like fashion as is customary, including such things as washers, driers, and ironers for use in building a model of a laundry. All'of theabove-described items rest on the table or other surface on which the wall simulating structure is placed and need not be secured or hung to the wall. However, if it is desired to add doors,windows,wall cabinets and other articles usually associated with the walls rather than with the floor of a room, some extra means should be provided for hanging these wall-associated articles. It is for this purpose that the groove H is provided at the top of the wall. It is also for this reason that the walls are made of sheet steel. We haveshown a door simulating panel 2 and a window simulating panel 28 both hung from the groove ll by means of a simple top flange 29. It should be clear that the cooperation of thefiange 29 with the groove H permits the removable location of either the door or the window at any point along the wall. Wall cabinets or otherarticles could also be hung in this fashion.

In some instances it might be desirable to locate the wall-associated articles at a distance spaced downwardly from the bottom of the soffit. For this reason, or in case the groove H is not provided, we may utilize the magnetic qualities of tne steel wall to hang the wall-associated articles thereon. For example, two'styles of wall cabinets 3t and 3! are shown. Referring to Fig. 3, the rear of these cabinets may be provided with aso'cket 32 in which a small but powerful permanent magnet 33 is moulded, cemented or otherwise suitably secured. The cabinet model itself is made of a suitable non-magnetic light material such as plastic, and when the cabinet is applied to the wall the magnet will hold it in place and yet permit manual shifting of the cabinet to any desired position on the wall. Preferably, and as shown, the magnet is located at the top of the cabinet so that gravity will simply aid in positioning the cabinet vertically. More than one magnet might be used if found necessary to support larger sizes of cabinets.

In'both forms of support for the wall-assolation of an actual room arrangement.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain'aspects of our invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and we contemplate that various and other modifications and applications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore our intention that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. -A self-supporting wall-simulating section for angular abutting relation with similar wall sectionsalong the length thereof in the construction of model buildings, comprising an upstanding, rectangular, longitudinally extending wall panel with a top, a supporting base integral therewith, a soffit secured along the length of the top overhanging the .wall panel for a given distance normal thereto, the front and bottom wall portions of said soffit being discontinued in its length at one end of the wall for a distance equal to the distance of overhang, and a scale carried by said soflit at the upper portion thereof, said-scale being co-extensive with the wall panel and .adaptedsnugly to overlie the upper edge of the soilit of an abutting wall section.

2. In a construction kit for building miniatures of 'rooms having soifitsat the tops of the walls, a movable wall unit-comprising a self-supporting, rigid panel with a top flange portion, a sofiit portion having a base wall secured to said flange inoffset relation therewith to provide a groove defined by the soffit base wall and the top flange portion of said wall panel, and a simulated wallassociated-article, having a rearwardly extending flange on the back of said article adapted to seat removably in said groove for supporting the article relative to the wall panel.

3. A wall simulating section adapted to abut at an angle against the face of a similar wall simulatingsection at-any point along the length thereof to form contiguous walls in the construction of small scale room models, comprising a rigid wall panel, a base-forming flange for supporting said panel in vertical position, a rearwardly extending flange defining the upper edge of the wall panel, and a soiTit-simulating section having a base wall secured to said last-named flange against the rearmost edge thereof and projecting forwardly to overhang said wall panel at right angles thereto and in offset relation with said upper flange to provide a continuous, inconspicuousgroove'defined by'the base wall of said soflit-simulating section and the top flange portion of said wall panel for releasably supporting wall-associated accessories-beneath said sofiit, said soflit base and front walls commencing at one end of said wall panel and terminating short of the other end by a'distance equal to the overhang of said soflit relative to said wall panel.

i. A wall simulating section adapted to abut at an angle against the face of a similar wall simulating section at any point along the length thereof to form contiguous walls in the construction of small scale room models, comprising a rigid wall panel, a base-forming flange for supporting said panel in vertical position, a rearwardly extending flange defining the upper edge of the wall panel, a soflit-simulating section having a base wall secured to said last-named flange against the rearmost edge thereof and projecting forwardly to overhang said wall panel at right angles thereto and in. offset relation with said upper flange to provide a continuous, inconspicuous groove defined by the base wall of said soffitsimulating section and the top flange portion of said wall panel for releasably supporting walla ssociated accessories beneath said soffit, said sofiit base and front Walls comencing atone end of said wall panel and terminating short of the other end by a distance equal to the overhang of said scflit relative to said wall panel, and a flange extending at right angles from the edge of said wall panel at the said other end thereof to provide a surface facilitating the rectangular arrangement of adjacent wall sections.

VICTOR CIVKIN. GERALD M. MACARI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

